Suspected Houthi Attack Targets A Ship In The Gulf Of Aden, While Iraq-Claimed Attack Targets Eilat

The attacks follow the departure of the USS Dwight D Eisenhower after an eight-month deployment in which the aircraft carrier led the American response to the Houthi assaults. Those attacks have reduced shipping drastically through the route crucial to Asian, Middle East and European markets in a campaign the Houthis say will continue as long as the Israel-Hamas war rages in the Gaza Strip.

Associated Press
Updated on: 26 June 2024 



Suspected Houthi Attack Targets A Ship In The Gulf Of Aden | Photo: AP

Suspected attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels early Wednesday targeted a ship in the Gulf of Aden, while a separate attack claimed by Iraqi militants allied with the rebels targeted the southern Israeli port city of Eilat, authorities said.

The attacks follow the departure of the USS Dwight D Eisenhower after an eight-month deployment in which the aircraft carrier led the American response to the Houthi assaults. Those attacks have reduced shipping drastically through the route crucial to Asian, Middle East and European markets in a campaign the Houthis say will continue as long as the Israel-Hamas war rages in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the Houthis faced allegations they seized commercial aircraft that brought back pilgrims from the Hajj amid a widening economic dispute between the rebels and the country's exiled government.

The ship attack happened off the coast of Aden, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said.

The captain “of a merchant vessel reported a missile impacted the water in close proximity to the vessel,” the UKMTO said. “The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”

The UKMTO did not say if the ship had been damaged.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said early Wednesday that a drone “fell off the coast of Eilat.” The military activated air raid sirens in the area.

The drone “was monitored by (Israeli) soldiers throughout the incident and it did not cross into Israeli territory,” the Israeli military said. “During the incident, an interceptor was launched toward the” drone.

The Houthis have faced issues with having enough currency to support the economy in areas they hold — something signaled by their move to introduce a new coin into the Yemeni currency, the Riyal. Yemen's exiled government in Aden and other nations criticized the move, saying the Houthis are turning to counterfeiting.

Aden authorities have demanded all banks move their headquarters there as a means to stop the worst slide ever in the Riyal's value and re-exert their control over the economy. Aden also is pushing for other businesses to leave Sanaa.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have taken captive local Yemeni employees of the United Nations, aid groups and the former US Embassy in Sanaa as part of a major crackdown. Following a pattern of their Iranian backers, the Houthis have aired repeated videos of the captives that appear to be taken under duress, alleging they are spies based in some cases on emails praising their work helping Yemenis.